Son of official killed by North Korea withdraws lawsuit against Coast Guard

The son of a fisheries official killed by North Korea has withdrawn a civil lawsuit against the South Korean Coast Guard, five years after filing it. The lawsuit was filed in July 2021 by the official's son, who accused the Coast Guard of human rights violations and demanded an apology.

The case originated in September 2020 when Lee Dae-jun, a fisheries official, was killed by North Korean forces in the West Sea. The Moon Jae-in administration's Coast Guard initially concluded that Lee had voluntarily defected to North Korea. This conclusion became a major controversy in 2022 when the Yoon Suk-yeol administration overturned the findings, stating there was insufficient evidence to support the voluntary defection claim.

The Board of Audit and Inspection later audited the decision-making process and requested a prosecution of former National Security Advisor Seo Hoon and others. The National Human Rights Commission had previously ruled that the Coast Guard's detailed disclosure of Lee's private life violated his and his family's rights to privacy and dignity. Meanwhile, all individuals prosecuted in connection with the West Sea official's death have been acquitted. Former Unification Minister Park Jie-won, former Defense Minister Suh Wook, former NIS Secretary Noh Eun-chae, former National Security Advisor Seo Hoon, and former Coast Guard Commissioner Kim Hong-hee have all had their acquittals finalized. Former President Moon Jae-in also received a non-prosecution disposition on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights, approximately three years and seven months after being reported by a civic group.